5 ways to save time and money in the garden

Posted on 8:45pm Monday 10th Dec 2018

Gardening can be a rewarding and enjoyable hobby, or it can feel like a chore. Either way, it doesn’t have to be as expensive as it can first seem. Sure there are lots of gadgets you can get nowadays and the gardening aisles in your local DIY stores are overflowing with tempting products.

But, if you’re on a budget or wish to be a little savvy with your garden expenditure, then here are 5 ways you can save money in your garden.

Opt for natural groundcover

Instead of considering artificial grass, think about using natural groundcover options. Low-maintenance plants like creeping thyme or clover can provide a lush and green look without the need for constant mowing or upkeep. They're great alternatives to consider.

Sow direct from seed

When growing your own vegetables there are countless apparatus available to you such as starter seed trays, propagators, grow lamps and so on. The idea being you sow your seeds indoors in tiny sections of a starter tray, then move these into a larger pot , then eventually move outdoors. Whilst you can grow like this, it’s usually a lot of faff and to be honest, you’ll be spending a lot of money on various trays and pots when you really don’t need to. Many vegetables are perfectly fine to be planted directly outdoors and will thrive. I simply plant my veg directly in the soil, cover with fine mesh netting until they have grown a couple of inches, and then remove the mesh and off they go (or grow!). To save money by planting directly outdoors, simply opt for easy to grow summer varieties and hardy winter vegetables.

Plant succulents

If you want to opt for something that requires very little maintenance, then opt for succulents in your border. Not only are they unusual and instantly add interest, but they will save you a ton of money on water! These plants are designed to withstand harsh conditions in deserts and thus need very little attention or watering. Plus they are slow growing, so you’ll never need to expend energy cutting them back!

Make your own compost

Buy a compost bin or build a simple square structure at the bottom of your yard to start a compost heap. Compost can be pretty expensive when purchased from gardening centres, but it’s so easy to make your own from your left over scraps of food. Plus, it’s sort of free! You were going to throw this food away anyway, so now you’re using waste to create something that you would otherwise need to buy. You’ll also save time and energy on making trips to the store to buy compost when you need it. Win-win.

Raid your recycling

Instead of buying plant pots and seed trays when you need them, start keeping plastic packaging from your kitchen such as takeaway trays and margarine pots. These make perfect seed starter trays if you stab a few holes in the bottom. Cardboard egg trays also work perfectly for this and they can even be planted directly into the soil when the seedlings are ready to go outdoors, and the cardboard will naturally rot away. Spray old tin cans in colourful paints for unique plant pots. The possibilities are endless if you let your imagination run wild. You’ll be helping to create a more sustainable world by reusing items and generating less waste.

There we have it. Five ways you can begin to save time and save money in the garden.